Window blinds are commonly used in sliding roof systems to expose and hide an opening in a vehicle roof. The window blind is usually made of a flexible material that may be attached underneath the vehicle roof opening in order to cover the opening to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the choice of the vehicle occupants. If the opening is to be exposed, the window blind is wound on a winding shaft. If the opening is to be hidden, the window blind can be uncoiled so that it covers the opening. The longitudinal edges of the window blind are received in a guide so that the window blind can be held taut transverse to the shifting direction. This prevents the window blind from sagging into the vehicle interior space when lying underneath the opening in the vehicle roof.
The longitudinal edges of the window blind are usually angled and inserted in guide grooves of a guide rail. This allows application of a desired tension in the transverse direction. One disadvantage of this configuration, however, is that the window blind occupies a large overall height due to the angled longitudinal edges of the guide rail. This reduces the amount of available headroom in the vehicle interior space. Moreover, the transition area from the winding shaft to the entrance in the guide grooves needs to be covered by a facing, causing the facing to be wider than desirable.
There is a desire for a window blind that can be received in a guide and that can be held taut in a transverse direction while keeping manufacturing costs low. There is also a desire for a window blind that occupies a small amount of space.